Recently thermal insulation blocks or modules formed from blankets of inorganic fibers such as refractory fibers have become widely used to form thermally insulating linings for high temperature devices such as furnaces, ovens, kilns and the like. A typical insulating block or module is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,996 issued to C. O. Byrd, Jr. Insulating blocks of this type have enjoyed widespread success in the marketplace as the main component of a commercial system available from Johns-Manville Corporation and its licensees under the trademark Z-BLOK.
As will be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the prior art insulating blocks have incorporated therein mounting brackets which normally comprise a mounting channel 2 to which are affixed a plurality of beams 4 which are embedded in the fiber body 7 and which are attached to the channel 2 by tabs 6. Normally these blocks are mounted on the wall or ceiling of a furnace or similar device by first attaching directly to the wall channel-shaped mounting clips 8 at predetermined intervals spaced according to the desired spacing of the blocks. These clips are normally alternated at 90.degree. angles such that when the individual blocks are mounted one to a clip by sliding the channel 2 into the channel portion of the clip 8 the finished plurality of blocks has a parqueted appearance with the orientation of the folds in the blocks alternating at 90.degree. angles. Thus, for instance, with typical blocks having dimensions of 12" in width by 12" in length by 4" to 12" in depth (30.times.30.times.10 to 30 cm) the mounting clips would be spaced on the wall or ceiling at 12" (30 cm) intervals. The parqueting arrangement allows the blocks, in which the individual folds are under compression, to bear against each other when the blocks are in place and thus minimize the shrinkage effects of the fiber at high temperature.
The system using the channel-shaped clips has proved quite successful in applications where there is ready accessibility for the workman to the furnace wall or ceiling. In these cases the workman can merely mount the clip on the wall (as by stud welding), position the end of the channel 2 aligned with the channel shape of the clip 8 and then slide the channel 2 onto the clip 8 until the block is positioned in the desired location. It has been found, however, that when access to the furnace wall or ceiling is limited it is extremely difficult for the workman to align the channel 2 with the clip 8 and to retain the two aligned until the channel 2 has been slid into the clip 8. The difficulty for the workman is increased as the job progresses because the blocks which have been mounted serve to further restrict the workman's already limited access to the wall or ceiling surface for the remaining blocks. In addition, even in locations where there is better access, the closed dimensional tolerances normally held on both the clip 8 and the channel 2 make it very difficult for the workman to align the clip and the channel and to retain that alignment without first flaring the leading edge of the clip with pliers. Of course, in cramped quarters the problem is magnified.
It would therefore be very desirable to have a mounting system which allows ready installation of the thermal insulation blocks or modules to a wall surface even when clearance and/or access are minimal.